This diary is THE diary...get wed and debt free in 2 years???

goingontoolong

Hi guys and welcometh to my humble abode!! :beer:


As you can guess from the title, I have had a few diaries on this site, some more succesful than others and, although I have never technically left my MSE ways, I was finding it very tough when I wasnt setting myself targets, you know how it is!

So I am 24, have a 7 year old son :eek: and have just got engaged to the love of my life

3 weeks ago, I only had the loan and the credit card to worry about (have kicked the @ss off my massive overdraft, the Provident loan and my New look and Argos cards!:j)
Now, I am FREAKING OUT about the cost of weddings these days! Bridezilla, oh yes, definately!

Basically, I want a decent wedding day, I dont mind saving on some things and getting talented friends to help out with others, but at the same time, I am hoping that this is the only wedding day that I ever have, so I don't want any regrets

My mind began running away with me within about 5 minutes of DreamBoy (that's what I call him on here lol) popping the question, as is probably normal with a blushing bride to be :happylove

Anyway, as it stands, I still want to keep myself reined in, paying off the card and loan where possible (its a Tesco Credit card, so I am hoping to pay for stuff for the wedding as I go, paying it off with savings but getting the points!;)) but still putting money aside for the big day.

I have been thinking about this alot and want to kindof set aside a set amount as overpayments to the credit card every month. On payday, i will pay this regardless and either earn it back through OT, mystery shops and cutbacks elsewhere during the month. Then anything left over at the end of the month (with our current spending habits, that's about £300) we can put to the wedding.

Realistically that means that the wedding, loan and CC can be done in 2 years as long as me and DreamBoy can earn £1k extra between us per month.

Difficult, but doable, we have managed it occasionally in the past, so we just need to find that motivation to do it EVERY MONTH

So my main aim every month is to bring in, or save £1000 that I would not have had originally...

Thinking caps on!!!

goingontoolong

...to continue from that ramble, I was thinking to start small, with things that I perhaps wouldn't notice.

For example, when I get a BOGOF or other promotion in Te5co, instead of just being chuffed :j that I have made a saving, I could be transferring that saving into the wedding or credit card. Small, but probably significant

I already do some cashback shopping, but should try to make sure that I do not FORGET TO CHECK :mad:

The main thing though, on the smaller scale is probably spare change. That stuff gets spent on cr&p all the time, I need to start putting this away somewhere, my local RBS has a giant coin sorting machine that deposits your coins into your account so that would be fab :cool:

These things will probably total about £20 a week in stuff that will acually make no difference to how I live or what I do!! :T

The BIG stuff though is overtime. I get Double on Sundays, time and a half the rest of the time, so 2 and a half Sundays a month plus a couple of lat nights would be £500 between us after tax in extra mula, and after all, ITS ALL ABOUT THE MULA! :rotfl:

Todaym we spent over £30 in travel to work (taxi cos we are lazy) and food at work. Although that isnt normal at all, a tenner probably is, which is RIDICULOUS. I would rather spend an extra tenner with the weekly shop and have food for the week than fork our £50 a week at least on crummy canteen food and crisps. That's a shocker I have to admit, I never realised that we were just p!ssing it away like that

I am rambling again, I do this often and I am sorry already! Off to check for mystery shopping! :A

goingontoolong

Hello my dear diary, looks like its just me and you just now. Perhaps I should go off to make some friends and keep myself motivated!

Managed to sort the Engagement Party for £150 at a really good bar in town, including the DJ. Bargain of negotiation! My future SIL has agreed to give us £200 so that will sort out the Buffet. Should be a good evening, and I will get to see some friends who I havent seen in such a long time!

I am away to do my grocery shopping online, have some extra points coupons for Te5co so will use those and see how much mula I can put aside! Back soon TTFN!!!

LuckyBiscuit

Good luck and Congrats................................................xxx

goingontoolong

Thanks for the message!

Grocery order came to £31.42, only had savings of about £1 over the usual cost of the stuff, but that £1 has just been paid onto the credit card! YAY!!

No mystery shops in my area for a bit, unless I pay for a ticket at the train station, which I am not gonna do! hmmm.

Oh well, got some OT in the bag for sat and Sun for both of us, we are doing half days and going to the pictures before and after both (we have cineworld cards, cheap date nights and worth the money if you work beside a cinema!) so that should be a couple of hundred.

Even though we technically started this month on the 11th, we are taking it from the 1st of each month, so we may be a little short this time around, if not though....GREAT!!

goingontoolong

I have been thinking more about the wedding, and even though it is nearly 2 years away, I really want to get as much booked and sorted as soon as possible.

It will give me much less to worry about when we get to 6 months away with nothing sorted!

So we have booked the venue, are in the process of getting the photographer sorted, paid deposit to the registrar and am buying some of the things that I will need to make the invitations when the time comes.

The favours is one thing I am trying to save money on. I like the idea of lottery tickets/scratchcards and possibly little home made colouring books for the kids. That would be £1 per person and I reckon its a nice touch espescially if someone wins some cash!

We have set ourselves a budget of £20k...but I really dont want to spend that. I would rather have some left as a nest egg so I am looking for shortcuts that dont scrimp on style!:money:

happytails

Good luck!! Will be subbing this diary!! We are £6k in debt (overdrafts and money i owe a friend) and are hoping to get married within 2 years. Looking at £8k budget for wedding incl honeymoon WE have 2 kids so its going to be somewhere kid friendly in the UK, thinking a working farm

£1000 extra a month is inspirational. Im a stay at home mum with the kids (well 1, the other is still cooking ) and DP is the earner so its a little trickier with us. Thinking i should start a diary though, might motivate us more!!

Sorry Hijacking here

Sarah x

Geebee

Hello my dear diary, looks like its just me and you just now. Perhaps I should go off to make some friends and keep myself motivated!

Hi Goingontoolong... You may get more people reading/replying if you post this in the DEBT FREE DIARIES section.

Good luck with everything!.

vasseur

Congratulations *subscribes* I will be following your diary with interest....

loveGSDs

hello and congratulations!

hope you manage to meet ur targets

:j

goingontoolong

Thanks for the replies guys (hehe, I thought I was in the diaries already lol, ooops, my bad!)

Today wasn't very MSE for me, I totally forgot to make sandwiches so had to take money to work :cool:

Have done a couple of surveys and called te5co Clubcard to see if I have vouchers left over...I am a bit of a points feind but I had a feeling that I had accidentally shredded the ones that I was supposed to have available. I was right.....over £100 was in the bin :eek:

All sorted now though and I have all of my points back on my account all ready for november. We are hoping to get our wedding ringd from goldsmiths using the vouchers. The rings are one of the things that we want to get our moneys worth on, since they are one of the only things from our wedding that will still be kicking about in 50 years time lol

Paid the deposit for the engagement party,:beer: and got chatting to one of the barmen who has given us details of a band in the area who are looking for gigs just to get their name out there, they will do covers etc and will probably do it for free given the short notice, they would raher be doing something than nothing cos it may lead to bookings for them, so FREE BAND!!! :T

Working 6 hours on saturday, but we are taking DS to the pix first (good old unlimited cards lol), then working, then going to the pix again to see a 'grown up' movie! Was going to be working Sunday too, but my babysitter (mum!!) isnt able to sit on the baby so to speak so we may have to knock that one on the head.

From the frugal living so far this month, if we keep it as is, we should have £600 left at the end of the month. Not quite as much as we were looking for, but getting there!

I have been looking at how to videos online and am thinking that I should really do my own flowers at the wedding...will probably need to practise first and see how my patience holds up!!

Im off to find some mystery shops (I hope!) and some more surveys before I go to bed with a nice cuppa!